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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — hurry
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stock — goods
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stock — shares
  16. hand — help
  17. tube — a container
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com